TY - JOUR TI - HrWnt-5: a maternally expressed ascidian Wnt gene with posterior localization in early embryos. AU - Sasakura, Y AU - Ogasawara, M AU - Makabe, K W T2 - The International Journal of Developmental Biology AB - Ascidians show a highly determinate mode of development. In particular, components of the posterior-vegetal cytoplasm of fertilized eggs are responsible for the establishment of the embryonic axis. Recent studies have, however, also revealed significant roles of cell-cell interactions during embryogenesis. Proteins encoded by the Wnt family of genes act as signals and have been shown to play important roles in a wide range of developmental processes. Here we have isolated and characterized an ascidian Wnt gene, HrWnt-5, from Halocynthia roretzi. HrWnt-5 mRNA is present in the vegetal cortex in unfertilized eggs. After fertilization, HrWnt-5 mRNA moves to the equatorial region to form a crescent-like structure, after which the mRNA is concentrated in the posteriormost region of the embryo. This early pattern of HrWnt-5 mRNA localization coincides with another posterior-vegetally localized mRNA, pem, isolated from Ciona savignyi. In the gastrula, the zygotic HrWnt-5 mRNA is found in a variety of blastomeres, suggesting multiple roles of the gene. PY - 1998 VL - 42 IS - 4 SP - 573 EP - 579 J2 - Int. J. Dev. Biol. LA - en SN - 0214-6282 SN - 1696-3547 UR - https://ijdb.ehu.eus/article/9694628 Y2 - 2024/05/06/23:17:53 ER -